The Endless Conversations Arc
by Dulin
Summary: A series of ficlet starring Zechs, Mariemeia, Dorothy and Une speaking about Treize. Sparked by the Mariemeia Month challenge on the gwozzies LJ community.
1. You knew my father ?

**Title **: You Knew my Father ?

**Author** : Dùlin

**Rating** : PG

**Characters** : Zechs, Mariemeia

**Warnings **: angst

**Disclaimer** : Those yummy people belong to Sunrise and Bandai. Which are not me.

**Author's Note** : written for Marimeia Month on gwozzies. The prompt given to me by Cozz was 'a conversation between Zechs and Mariemeia about Treize'.

**O.O.O.O**

"You knew my father ?"

The question hit him like a punch in the guts. She did not notice. She was looking at him from under a mop of red hair that had grown and darkened a bit in the last year. Her eyes had darkened too. Her eyes that had stared hungrily at him all evening, ever since they had been introduced and seen each other face to face for the first time.

"I never knew him," she added. "My mother did not talk about him often, because Grandfather did not approve of him. I do not think that he really approved of me, either." 

Her eyes did not leave his, questioning, probing, pushing the walls that he had carefully erected and destroying them until all that was left was dust, taken away by a cold, uncompromising wind. So much like her father.

"I don't think that anyone really knew your father, Miss Barton."

She frowned.

"My last name is Kushrenada," she said a bit haughtily.

Zech smiled, wondering at the same time why he felt like he was going to throw up.

"Of course. My apologies."

"Why don't you wear your real name ?"

She was blunt, a far cry from the polite little girl who had smiled graciously in front of the guests.

"Zechs Merquise is my real name, Miss Kushrenada."

"You are Relena's brother. You are Milliardo Peacecraft."

Zechs shook his head, and took the opportunity to break the eye contact.

"I _was _Milliardo Pececraft. A long time ago."

She frowned again, and when she did this the resemblance to her father was uncanny. Zechs had never met Leah Barton, but her daughter probably did not look very much like her.

"Like I was Mariemeia Barton ?" she asked, confused.

Zechs nodded.

"Yes. A bit like that."

"Oh."

She did not understand. Not yet. Maybe she never would. At least, Zechs hoped so.

"I want to know … I want to know what I did wrong," she said. "I want to know why I could not do what he failed to do."

Zechs turned away to look out of the window. He could not help but wonder if things might have been different if Treize had known that Leah Barton had given him a daughter. If he would have tried to stay alive for her sake.

"You father did not fail, Miss Kushrenada. Your father never failed. Everything happened the way he had intended it to … except you."

OWARI


	2. My mother was nice

**Title** : My mother was nice... 

**Author** : Dùlin

**Rating** : PG

**Characters** : Zechs, Mariemeia, Une

**Warnings** : angst

**Disclaimer** : Those yummy people belong to Sunrise and Bandai. Which are not me.

**Author's Note** : Second in the Endless Conversation Arc. The first one I wrote doomed me.

**O.O.O.O**

"My mother was nice … I think."

Zechs frowned.

"Don't you remember ?"

Mariemeia shook her head.

"I am not very sure of what I remember."

Zechs had not wanted to stay the night. Actually, he had looked for the slightest opportunity to excuse himself and go back to what he had thought would be the rest of his life. And then Une had wanted to talk to him in private and asked, very humbly, if he would consent to stay since Mariemeia seemed to have taken a fondness for him.

"I know what I am asking of you," she had said, "because I have inflicted it upon myself ever since His Excellency died. But there are things that I cannot tell her … Questions that I do not know the answers to … Memories that are above my strength to listen to."

All she had needed to say was 'please', uttered in a soft voice, and he had accepted. She had thanked him and left the room.

While Mariemeia was in Une's custody, she had to live with her guardian. Although Une had allowed the girl to visit her father's numerous estates, and even given a guided tour of those she knew personally, she had refused to live on either of them full time. Her duty as Head of Preventer would not have allowed it anyway. A few weeks of holidays was all she could afford to familiarize Mariemeia with her family's history and heritage.

"She died when I was a little girl."

Zechs was not sure just how the conversation had come to this. It had not been much of a conversation to begin with, but more of a game of hide and seek which had ended when she had found him in the library reading from a book picked at random on the shelves and had sat down on the carpet next to his chair.

"You are a little girl still," Zechs said, but he knew it to be a lie.

She knew it too, and waved it away with a flick of her hand.

"Was your mother nice, Mr. Merquise ?"

The question was sugar-coated with the flawless manners of aristocracy, but remained rude nonetheless. Mariemeia did not seem to care in the least. One thing that they had in common, he from his life as a soldier, she from the arrogance of childhood. Of course, when you have tried to take over the world and failed, a few rude questions are not something you are going to balk at.

"I don't remember very well either, Miss Kushrenada. She died when I was a little boy."

OWARI


	3. I want to understand

**Title** : I want to understand ... 

**Author **: Dùlin

**Rating **: PG

**Characters **: Zechs, Mariemeia

**Warnings **: angst

**Disclaimer **: Those yummy people belong to Sunrise and Bandai. Which are not me.

**O.O.O.O**

"I want to understand …" 

Zechs had given up all pretense of reading. He had tried to do so, tried to ignore the warm little body sitting on the carpet at his feet, the head innocently leaning on his leg as sleepiness swept over her. He had found himself reading the same line over and over again.

"I want to understand why I lost. Why I could not do it."

Her words were so soft that she could have been speaking to herself. But there was a tenseness to her slender body, the same that he could feel between his own shoulders.

"Why did the people listen to Miss Relena, but not to me ? What did she have to offer them that I did not ?"

"Freedom ?" he said.

She shrugged, and the silky fabric of her dress seemed to sigh.

"People do not really want to be free. They are too scared of freedom. Miss Dorothy is right. They spend their time looking for a master."

"And it should have been you ?"

She gave a start.

"I … do not know," she answered cautiously.

She almost looked up at him, but caught herself at the last second, and he realized that she did not really want to look at him anymore than he wanted to look at her. But she did not have a choice in the matter. Nor did he.

"It could have been you too," she whispered after a while.

"I did not want it. Nor did you father."

She leant on him again, and Zechs tightened his fists to prevent his hands from shaking.

"But I wanted it," she said. "And I lost like he did. And I do not know why."

Zechs had to take a deep breath.

"I do not know either, Miss Kushrenada. I lost too."

OWARI


	4. Shouldn't you be in bed ?

**Title **: Shouldn't you be in bed ?

**Author** : Dùlin

**Rating **: PG

**Characters** : Zechs, Mariemeia, Dorothy

**Warnings** : angst

**Disclaimer** : Those yummy people belong to Sunrise and Bandai. Which are not me.

**O.O.O.O**

"Shouldn't you be in bed ?"

Both Mariemeia and Zechs gave a start when a new voice broke into a silence that was on the verge of becoming uncomfortable.

"Miss Dorothy !"

Mariemeia jumped on her feet, tiredness and manners seemingly forgotten, which earned her a frown from Dorothy. Thankfully, she stopped herself short of running towards the newcomer and crossed her little hands behind her back.

"We were talking … I did not see the time. I am sorry."

Zechs got up from his chair, breathing more freely now that Mariemeia was a few feet away.

"I am afraid it is my fault, Miss Catalonia. I held Miss Kushrenada back. I will have to apologize to lady Une for keeping her up past her bedtime."

Mariemeia pouted when bedtime was mentioned, but politely didn't interrupt.

"Mr. Merquise. It's been a long time," Dorothy said from the door.

She was not wearing a gown, and Zechs did not remember seeing her at the party.

"Indeed," he answered. "How have you been, Miss Catalonia ?"

She laughed. The sound crawled on Zechs' skin.

"Mr. Merquise, we came close to destroying the world together. Call me Dorothy."

Zechs nodded.

"Then you must call me Zechs, Dorothy. As you said, our history allows a bit of familiarity, doesn't it ?"

"You know that I cannot do that, Mr. Milliardo."

Zechs took a step back, almost bumping into the chair he had just left, and looked down.

"Don't call me that way."

"As you wish," she answered with a shrug. "Mariemeia, Une is waiting for you. And do not stare. It is rude."

Mariemeia looked away hastily and had the decency to blush.

"Good night, Miss Kushrenada."

OWARI


	5. You don't have to do this

**Title** : You don't have to do this

**Author** : Dùlin

**Rating** : PG

**Characters** : Zechs, Dorothy, Une

**Warnings** : angst

**Disclaimer** : Those yummy people belong to Sunrise and Bandai. Which are not me.

**O.O.O.O**

"You don't have to do this, Mr. Merquise," Dorothy said as the door of the bedroom closed behind Mariemeia and Une.

Zechs looked at her looking at him.

"Yes, I do."

Once again, she laughed, although Zechs failed to see the hilarity either in his words or his actions.

"She is just a pampered little girl who almost had the world in her hands at one point. It's nothing special in this house, don't you think, Mr. Merquise ?"

She was still smiling, and he smiled back almost against his will.

"I guess not," he answered.

"I know that I am not in my own house, but maybe I could offer you something to drink, Mr. Merquise. I think … I think that maybe we both need it."

Zechs did not have the time to decline. The door opened, and Une slipped out of the now dark room. She seemed surprised to see them still here.

"I was hoping to convince Mr. Merquise to join us for a last drink, Une. He does not seem very enthusiastic, but I am sure he would humor you if you asked."

Une smiled at him. Or tried to. She never really smiled now. She had no reason to. Mariemeia was too young to see through it for the moment.

"I suppose I could use a drink," she finally said.

She led the way to a parlor. A room built for men, with dark wood and a pool table, and books that were there just for show, but she fit into the décor like it had been built around her. Dorothy looked delicate and out of place next to her, like she did not belong here.

Une did not stop to ask either of them what they wanted to drink. Dry bourbon for Zechs, porto for Dorothy, vodka on the rocks for herself. They raised their glasses together, but none of them spoke.

Une did not down her drink in one gulp, but you could see that she wanted to. Zechs did not have as much qualms and emptied his glass. Dorothy was sipping her porto and watching them like a hawk, as if she expected them to gut each other on the Persian carpet any minute now.

Some things never changed.

Une put her untouched glass near the gleaming bottles again. The ice was slowly melting in rivulets and mingling with the clear alcohol. She took Zechs' empty glass and put it next to hers.

"I'll show you your room … Zechs."

OWARI


	6. I can't sleep

**Title** : I can't sleep …

**Author** : Dùlin

**Rating** : PG

**Characters** : Zechs, Mariemeia

**Warnings** : angst

**Disclaimer** : Those yummy people belong to Sunrise and Bandai. Which are not me.

**O.O.O.O**

"I can't sleep …"

Mariemeia had tried to sneak up on him while he was sleeping, and he had to admit that she was good. But he had heard her arrive anyway. Being a soldier does not exactly make for quiet nights. Nightmares also played a part, so that his sleep was more a light doze that the tiniest sound could break.

She was framed in the doorway, a little shadow darker than the rest. He was sitting on the bed, his hands on his knees. She was holding something that looked like a teddy bear with a big bow around its neck.

She did not apologize, just took a step inside.

"Can I stay here for a little while ?"

Zechs sighed.

"Of course. Come on in," he said.

She took another step, hesitant, her hand squeezing the stuffed animal tight. Zechs held his hand out to her, and after a few seconds she marched up to him and took it. Her fingers were cold. He wondered just how long she had been up.

She stared at him, and suddenly the teddy fell on the floor, and her other hand touched strands of silver blond hair, pushing them out of his face.

"I am afraid to say, Mr. Merquise, that I do not think I like you very much at the moment," she whispered.

"I am afraid to say that the feeling is unfortunately mutual, Miss Kushrenada," Zechs answered, suddenly standing up to avoid the contact. "You can have the bed. I will take the chair."

She looked unsure for a moment, then picked her teddy bear up and climbed into the bed. The chair wasn't very comfortable, mostly because it was made to be looked at rather than to be sat on, but Zechs had had much worse.

"Do you think that … maybe one day, we will like each other, even a little ?" He heard her ask, her voice quiet and expectant.

He tried to find a more comfortable position.

"I hope we will, Miss Kushrenada. I hope we will."

THE END


End file.
